Chapter Ninety-six: Negotiating with Wana

  Nicholas unwillingly said seriously: "The goods were robbed by me, why should our king pay the bill? This is unfair, put all the bills on my head! I owe you!"

  "Huh? You?" The poor Taoist asked dejectedly: "Do you have money?"

  "I'm your home's mortgage, you have to pay me salary, right? Deduct it from inside until this 2 million is cleared!"

  "What if I don't agree?" Am I stupid? Do I dare to embezzle Nicholas' money? My old man would have killed me first. It's said that the Iron Triangle are sworn brothers, which is also why I've always been polite to Nicholas!

  "If you just want to get Nicholas' body, then be my guest!" Nicholas glared at me and said.

  Damn it! I'm so scared of him! He's really an idiot, being sold by others and still helping them count the money! Idiot!

  "Haha! Since Uncle has spoken, how can I dare not obey? Alright then, consider me unlucky!" After saying that, he took out a magic crystal card and swiped it on Gatte's card. Oh no! 1000W just left me like that!

  "Agreed!" Gatte nodded at Nicolas.

  "I still want to chat with Gatte, after that we may never see each other again! You go first!" Nicolas said to me in a very impolite tone.

  "I'll take my leave first. Later, I'll ask for your permission and bring you to my home to stay, so we can have a good chat with Father!"

  "Alright! Fine!" Nicholas said and then ignored me, focusing on chatting with Gatte.

  Nicholas is not worried, I know that once he pledges his loyalty to me, he will be unwaveringly devoted! Now, I have to go and report my achievements to His Majesty the King, and at the same time show off a bit! Let him know why the flowers here are so red.

  The king and his ministers were discussing the proposal of a ceasefire in the Wana Kingdom. Most people advocated for a major war, after all, we had won a great victory, captured Nicholas, and morale was high, while our opponents were at an all-time low. Furthermore, the Wana Kingdom's food and supplies were scarce, so most people advocated for a counterattack against Wana, with the goal of occupying its territory!

  A few people did not think this was a good idea and advocated for peace talks! But the supporters were fewer, and they were discussing it. The guard reported that Pindao had asked to see him. The king said: "Let him in, listen to this kid's opinion, he is a cunning guy!"

  "Haha!" Just as the ministers were laughing, I, a poor Taoist, entered.

  Just after I finished paying respects to the king, before I could even speak, the king opened his mouth and said: "You've come at just the right time! We were just discussing Vana's request for a ceasefire. You're always full of ideas, I'd like to hear your opinion!"

  "Then let's stop fighting!" The poor Taoist said with a shrug.

  "How can we stop the war?" It was Ishihara Koji again, this SB jumped out and shouted at me: "We are now in a dominant position, while our opponents are in trouble, burning their heads and feet, it is the best time for us to take over Vana! We already have 39 provinces, as long as we can conquer 11 more, we will become the fourth empire on the mainland, fulfilling the wishes of the emperors of past dynasties! Now that we have this great opportunity, Your Majesty! How can you give it up?"

  Cut! You fool! I can tell by the king's red eyes and his increasingly heavy breathing that things are taking a turn for the worse, the king is also getting hot-headed! Hurriedly, I said: "This is all nonsense! Utter rubbish without any brains!"

  "You!" Ishihara was so angry he couldn't speak.

  "Oh? And what reason do you have?" The king said to me.

  "There are many reasons, let's start with the Seventh Princess. Who among you can subdue her? As far as I know, Nicholas has personally admitted that when it comes to commanding on the battlefield, he is not a match for the Seventh Princess. If even Nicholas cannot handle this woman, who among you dares to claim victory?"

  The ministers all lowered their heads in thought, and the poor Taoist continued: "Furthermore, she has nearly 300,000 beastmen troops under her command, as well as tens of thousands of wolf cavalry, equivalent to a human army's combat strength of 1.5 million. Under the command of such a famous general, the combat strength can be increased several times. Who can fight with her?"

  "Is that all?" Commander Carillo of the Wang Family Guards thought for a moment and said, "Although she is formidable, we are at a disadvantage due to insufficient food and fodder. If we were to engage him in battle, we would still have a chance."

  "That's right! She'll be done for even if she's tough, without food!" Ishihara shouted.

  "Our problem is that it takes a lot of effort to beat her, right?"

  "Yes! But it's not that we can't win, is it?" Prince Carillo said.

  "We beat them, will others look on? For example, if Fang Si leads, especially the Kingdom of Kotte, what will be their reaction?"

  "It will be a bit of trouble! But we still have the Imperial Guard and two field armies, don't we?" said Prince Carillo.

  "What's the point of winning? What benefits do we get?"

  "Land? Isn't it a good thing? Idiot!" Ishihara shouted disdainfully.

  "You're an idiot!" The poor Taoist scolded: "We can't possibly occupy all of Vana, at most half, is that right, Your Highness?"

  "Yes, our military strength is insufficient to occupy too much land!"

  "Then we'll have to face the endless siege of the Seven Princesses!"

  "It's always her! Are you afraid of a woman?" said Ishihara Michiru

  "What I'm afraid of is the Beastmen, idiot! If she can lead 500,000 Beastmen, she can also lead 5 million, or even more. No one can afford to deal with this princess while still having to guard against the Beastmen behind her."

  "Indeed!" said Carillo, "The land we've worked so hard to conquer is always under threat from the beastmen. It's really not worth it! Your Majesty, I also suggest making peace. Occupying a piece of land that the beastmen covet is a very foolish thing. Let's gain some advantages through diplomacy instead!"

  "The benefits of diplomacy are also limited, otherwise Wana will perish and we'll have to face the beastmen directly!" The poor Taoist suggested.

  "Alas!" The king sighed and said: "After being beaten by Bai Yi for a while, I still can't get any interest back, it's really not worth it!"

  "Haha!" The poor Taoist laughed and said, "We have interest, you know!"

  "What interest?" the king asked in surprise

  "Nicholas has surrendered!"

  Shh! Quiet! Then came a burst of cheers.

  "Is this true?" The king stood up excitedly and said

  "Yes, he has sworn allegiance to me! Now he is my vassal!"

  "Are you feverish? He will be loyal to you?" Ishihara's mouth still stinks.

  "Your Majesty! I came this time specifically to inform you that I'd like to take Nicholas back to my home, is that alright with you?"

  "Of course, but can you tell me how it's done first?"

  "This!" The poor Taoist thought for a moment and said, "I secretly brought his family from Varna, spread some news that Nicholas had surrendered to me, and then the king declared him a rebel and ordered the pursuit of his relatives. After showing Nicholas the king's actions and Nicholas' relatives, just now Nicholas formally pledged allegiance to me!"

  This is a lie I've thought of ahead of time, and King Wana will also announce it in coordination with me!

  "You're a sly one!" The king said to me: "However, I like it. This time you've done great things again, and I'll reward you heavily, heavily reward you!"

  "Thank you, Your Majesty! How is Nicholas arranged?"

  "Hmm! Let me think about it!" The king hesitated.

  Wow! Nicholas really guessed it right, this king is not that great either! Such a famous general doesn't even dare to reuse him! However! Hehe! Just in time to benefit me!

  "Alright! Your Majesty, take your time to consider it, I'll withdraw first!"

  "Wait! I have something to tell you!" The king said with a smile

  "What's up?" I thought to myself, this guy must be up to no good!

  "This year's Christmas will be a celebration of the victory of the God of Light over the Dark Gods, as well as the 100th birthday of the Pope, and also the time when the Church selects the Holy Maiden. Three joyful events are happening at the same time! According to tradition, this grand celebration only happens once every ten years. All countries on the continent will have a one-month ceasefire, and all monarchs must personally come to the Holy City of Light to pay their respects and witness the selection of the Holy Maiden!" The king said: "I want you to go and experience it for yourself! What do you say?"

  What a strange thing, this is obviously a good thing! How did it fall on my head? But since the king has spoken, I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to! All I could say was: "Everything will be done according to your majesty's instructions!"

  "Alright! You go back and prepare well!" The king looked very excited, as if he had succeeded in some kind of conspiracy! Damn it! I won't be fooled by him, will I?!

  "Well, I'm off!"

  "Wait! After returning, pay special attention to having your Dragon Cavalry prepare well!"

  "You want me to bring them a stretcher?" I was shocked and wondered, doesn't he fear that I'll kill him halfway?

  "Guards, you are not needed! Your task is to bring glory to our country during the duel!" The king said with a sly smile.

  "What! Isn't it a wedding ceremony? Why is there still a duel?" The poor Taoist felt that something was amiss!

  "Haha! During the celebration, monarchs from various countries can engage in a 1000-man team battle at the arena, and the loser will be humiliated. There are also massive bets placed, don't disappoint me!"

  The king's smiling face flashed before me, and I don't know why I wanted to punch him so hard?! This son of a bitch is deliberately using my Dragon Rider as a gun, he's thrilled to death! Screw his damn balls!